The present invention relates to stabilized absorbent composites and methods for making stabilized absorbent composites. The absorbent composites of the present invention are suitable for incorporation into a variety of disposable absorbent articles such as, for example, diapers, children's training pants, adult incontinence pads and garments, menstrual pads, bed pads, surgical drapes, and the like.
Conventional absorbent composites have traditionally been made of cellulosic fluff or other fibrous materials. Many have also included superabsorbent particles dispersed within the fibrous materials. However, many of these traditional absorbent composites have suffered from structural breakdowns during use, including, for example, cracking, separating, wadding, and/or “roping.” These problems are generally undesirable and may cause discomfort for the wearer and/or may limit the performance of the absorbent composite.
Additionally, some conventional absorbent composites have exhibited undesirable “gel-on-skin” wherein some of the superabsorbent particles escape the absorbent composite and stick to the wearer during use. This problem may be worse with absorbent articles having a higher amount of superabsorbent material as a percentage of the total absorbent material weight.
Various attempts to prevent or minimize structural breakdowns and superabsorbent losses have included, for example, densifying the cellulosic fluff, adding adhesives or other binding agents to the absorbent material, wrapping the absorbent material in nonwovens or tissues, point bonding the absorbent core, aperturing the absorbent core, needling the absorbent core, placing the superabsorbent material in pockets or discrete layers, among others. However, there still exists a need for a simple and efficient way to stabilize absorbent composites to minimize or eliminate structural breakdowns and superabsorbent losses.